This month we review three matters:
Here is a collage of some pictures from this month's example.
The photographs shown in this example are in the PC as a result of being obtained from a digital camera or from scanning a photograph. The following pictures default to digital camera origin and, if not, the shown picture will be identified as a scanned image. If digital camera, the photograph has been taken at an Olympus Camera "HQ" setting of 1.3 megapixels (1280 x 960), with some pictures having been taken at less pixel detail ("SQ") 0.3 megapixels 640 x 480). In many cases, even if the digital picture was taken at these-mentioned sizes, the picture has been resized for showing on PC screens. I try to keep most images to have a maximum height of 600 pixels for PC-display. I use Paint Shop Pro (from JASC) as my primary application for modifying/resizing/coming photographic images into one image (photo).
Scanned photographs are scanned at 300 PPI (Pixels Per Inch), 150 or 100 PPI, and the chosen PPI will be identified in the comments for that particular image.
The following is aimed at showing examples of using the PC, digital cameras, and perhaps scanners, as part of home PC environment. Hopefully, the shown pictures will give you some ideas for your home use of PCs.
Contact SCScompA if you have any comments/questions regarding anything that is shown in this Web page.
I use my scanner at least once a week; many times, more often than that. As a home computer user, I view my scanner as a very valuable resource. If you also are home computer-oriented and have not yet started using your (or a) scanner, I encourage you to do so.
Sometimes I spot some very nice postal stamps and would like to save the pictures on the stamp for potential later use as part of a presentation or perhaps as a PC display background - or to, simply "enjoy" on the home PC's display.
Naturally, although I have paid for the stamp: The photo on the stamp is not mine! Therefore I could not use the scanned image for any commercial purpose. However, to simply "enjoy": I sometimes scan them and view them on my PC. Here are a couple of examples.
The purpose of this example is to show use of a scanner and, afterwards, modifying the scanned image using some image-processing application (in this example, PaintShop Pro).
First, I scanned the main stamp piece. I have removed the "stamp value" to ensure no one is tempted to use the image for other than the bat-image.
Download size: 133 KB.
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Next, I modified the scanned image using PaintShop Pro.
Download size: 31 KB.
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Then I enlarged scanned bat images 200% using PaintShop Pro.
The original scanned image was scanned at 300 BPI detail. If I had scanned each individual bat at a higher level of detail (my scanner allows up to 2000 PPI (Pixels Per Inch) the enlarged bat would be a clearer image.
Each of the images (two bats shown in a single image) has a download size of: 45 KB.
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I scanned part of the original images at 1000 PPI and the following are the results.
As we have talked about in earlier newsletters, scanning at "high" detail (greater than 300 PPI) for many home computers requires a reasonable amount of PC/system resources. I recommend you "only" scan parts of an image if you are going to use more than 300 PPI.
Download size: 91 KB.
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Download size: 90 KB.
If you see a nice image you feel you may have need of sometime -- I recommend you make use of your scanner and image processing application.
These are a few pictures taken in 2002 that are some of my favorites.
If you are home computer-oriented, perhaps the pictures encourage you to come up with some set of photos/images that are your favorites.
These two pictures of Bass Rock, outside of North Berwick in Scotland, each are nice on their own -- but together they look fine as well. The one on the right was taken at sunrise.
This picture was taken as we drove from Inverness to Dornoch in Scotland. I love the "yellow bushes" of April/May in Scotland.
The "old town" town of Edinburgh. A misty day in Scotland.
I was surprised how well this indoor picture turned out. The store is Jennings in Edinburgh.
The view from the 7th tee at Scotland's Gullane #1 golf course, with the sea and Muirfield Golf Club in the distance, is very memorable and this picture captured that view very well.
This is my favorite golf picture that I took in 2002. It was taken late in the day and the view of Scotland's Dornoch Golf Club's 17th green is very special to a golfer who is privileged to play Dornoch.
This is another view of Dornoch Golf Club. This is taken from the 3rd tee, overlooking the 17th green out to the sea.
This is a view of Inverness in Scotland. The combination of the three pictures in one image, although the resultant single image is a little large for some PC displays, worked out quite well.
St. Andrews, in Scotland, is very photogenic. This picture, again taken later in the day with the combination of shadow and sun, shows the city and its "sky line" quite well.
This view of the Old Course in St. Andrews leading down the 18th fairway is quite common -- nearly every golfer/tourist who visits St. Andrews would take a similar picture; however, I like the place and this picture! Therefore I include it in this set of "Best of 2002" pictures that I took.
This view of the New course at St. Andrews in Scotland is my second-favorite golf picture that I took in 2002. The single golfer on the tee in the background of this picture, the shadows, the solitary tree branch (the New course does not have any other trees!), and the flag flowing in the breeze all add up to a very nice picture. If you are a golfer and can play the New in St. Andrews I highly recommend you do that late in the afternoon. It is a very special place.
This picture, again taken from the New course in St. Andrews, is from behind the 8th green at the New, just before the 9th tee. A terrific spot.
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I hope that you take the time to gather your "Top 12" (or so) photos that you have taken in 2002 and save them on your home PC system. Having time to arrange them and to view them as a result of HTM-tags as used in this Web page or in "slideshow" fashion using some application such as Camedia or PaintShop Pro's JASC Media Center Plus can be a fun/valuable-to-the-family exercise.
Carnoustie, in Scotland, is a course we play each April. The following hole is from the second course (not the Championship course) of Carnoustie: Burnside.
If you are a golfer and are in the Carnoustie area sometime I can highly recommend the Burnside. It is located adjacent to the more-famous Carnoustie Championship course, but the Burnside is a fine course on its own.
The pictures were taken in April, 2002. The information shown regarding the golf hole's distances, etc. is a scanned image from "strokesaver, Golf's No. 1 Distance Guide". You may purchase "strokesaver" at most golf courses in Scotland.
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6th Hole - Carnoustie Golf Links Burnside Course - "Camp" - Par 4 348 Yards A relatively short, slightly left-to-right par 4. A nice drive of around 200 yards that should stay on the left side of the fairway results in a medium-to-short iron to a small-but-fair green. Drives that do not find the fairway can make this hole a difficult par. |
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Tee Shot
Stay clear of the bunkers on the right side of the fairway -- and try to stay out of the rough on the left and right!
Second Shot
The smallish green requires a precise approach shot. Depending up the drive, the second shot is between 150-to-130 yards for the average golfer.
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Let me know if you have played -- or expect to play in the future -- the above golf hole.
I wish you well in your picture taking and travels or other activities -- and hope you share that with a journal and Web-type of presentation you share with family/friends.
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To contact me about anything on this Web page, please:
send mail to: SCScompA@aol.com
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